Collingwood hospice under construction
By Kara McIntosh
Construction of a new $3.6 million residential hospice is well underway in downtown Collingwood.
Hospice Georgian Triangle (HGT)’s Campbell House will provide six palliative care beds in a non-institutional setting for both patients requiring end of life care, and their families.
Campbell House is named in honour of the Donald and Audrey Campbell Family Foundation. Donald and Audrey Campbell were long-time Collingwood residents who established the foundation to support different charities.
Located on Erie Street (behind Sunset Manor), the hospice is situated behind Sunset Manor long-term care home and close to the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital. Construction began in August of this year and it is expected that the facility will open its doors in August 2014.
The need for a residential hospice in this area where the population of over 65 year olds is double the provincial average is staggering. Campbell House has been a long-term dream of HGT,which began to explore opportunities for building the facility in 2007.
“Campbell House will give people in our community a place to die with dignity in a comfortable home-like setting with their loved ones surrounding them,” said Bruce West, Chair and CEO of HGT.
Patients will be looked after by professional nursing staff. HGT’s 200 volunteers will support both patients and family members by taking care of what West calls the “front of the house” areas such as reception, common living areas and the gardens, as well as providing their existing outreach programs.
Since 1987, HGT has been providing outreach services and programs for people facing terminal illness. They will continue to run their home and hospital visiting and bereavement support programs out of Campbell House once the facility is open next summer, but they are expecting to become busier.
“Once we are in Campbell House and have a physical presence there, we know that the demands for our outreach programs, the home visiting care and bereavement care, will grow exponentially and we are prepared to handle that,” says West.
The $3.6 million capital budget for constructing Campbell House includes the cost of land, site preparation and all start-up costs, such as furnishing and equipping the building for patient care. Every penny of the money raised has come from the community – from private, individual and local business donations and community fundraising events such as the Hike for Hospice.
West cannot stress enough how much this project has been needed and driven by the community. “This is a community-driven project as evidenced by the excess of $3.1 million that we have been able to raise exclusively through the community.”
Once the facility is built, the region’s Local Health Integration Network, an arm of the Ontario Government, will cover the costs associated with the professional nursing care at Campbell House. Responsibility for the occupancy and administration costs, however, rests with HGT and the community.
West acknowledged that the last mile of fundraising is always the most difficult. To push them through the final stages of building, HGT has published a Wish List Gift Registry on its website, www.hospicegeorgiantriangle.com. With a few clicks of the mouse, individuals can make a donation to cover the costs of specific furniture or equipment that will provide comfort and care to Campbell House patients and their families.
